Menoturals; Watery Wonderland

Joining in with the LLB gang for Nature Friday.  While sitting by the Firth of Clyde during that week of summer, I was delighted to see a pair of swans and their almost fully fledged cygnets enjoying the weather...

I wasn't quite quick enough to switch to video for this couple's conversation. It was quite the to-and-fro for a while, and definitely a "where did you go and what did she say...no really?!" kind of chit-chat. Then one partner sat down, and the talk settled a bit...

Did you know....

The average lifespan of a Herring Gull is typically 12 to 20 years after reaching maturity in their fourth year. However, individuals can easily live into their 30s, and the oldest recorded Herring Gull in the wild lived to be 49 years.

Herring Gulls mate for life, with both partners sharing the incubation and rearing duties. However, they also have a 'divorce' clause: if they consistently don't produce viable chicks, they may agree to find other partners - though that comes with all the cost of having to get back on the courtship scene!

Chicks are mottled grey for their first season, growing whiter with each passing year until they reach breeding maturity at four years, when the distinctive yellow bill with the red spot appears. Although life will likely be long for them after that, reaching that stage is fraught with danger, and many chicks simply don't make it to that age.

These Gulls are now on the UK red list as critically endangered. Numbers have been dropping steadily over a few decades, partly due to culling, but most recently they were severely affected by avian flu. 

Signing off with a wonderful summer view "doon the watter" of the firth...

Menoddsany; When The Sun Hits

For one glorious week, there was sunshine, warmth, and fun over The Grey by the Clyde. Whilst spending those couple of nights at Barney-dog's place, I finally updated the sheers/bug guards/privacy screens... As seen here from inside and from the outside...

I was rather excited to have found these in IKEA, a much better colour than the repurposed white sari material I had used for the last three years! I have a pair on the back doors as well, and they are hung on proper rods, rather than bits of string... so a little bit more dressed up!

This setup was particularly lovely to have when sitting with my door wide open to let in the water breeze as I watched the firth ebb and flow...

I did get back into The Hutch for a week - the sun didn't last, of course, and along came the wind and rain and much cooler temps, and I needed to be around for one more dog-sitting shift. Before that though, Mac1 brought Barney for a visit, and he took to Snoopy in much the same way Nobby did before him...

On those days spent by the waterside, it was fun to watch the local school kids doing an end-of-year walk along to the town boundary and back, waving their Saltires and chanting the Scottish Soccer (football) anthem.

That was just one group - there were several, and all happy and smiling and waving as I waved back. Fairly lifts the spirits, that sort of thing.

...and you know it's hot when the YAMster doesn't don some headwear!

Menoizikul; Midweek Musicalisms

This week's offering is a little more challenging to the ear, but still very lyrical. Listen for the instruments talking to each other, asking and responding...